Christmas at Augustana, a seasonal concert featuring the combined effort of many different musical ensembles, will be debuting this year, with the addition of encouraging greater audience participation.
Last year, the audience could sing along to a couple songs; this year, in response to feedback requesting more, there are six songs the audience is encouraged to sing along to.
“I enjoy being a part of anything that involves audience participation,” said Larry Peterson, conductor of the Handbell Choir. “I like to hear people sing… especially if they are singing robustly, then it is always exhilarating.”
The concert will be in Centennial Hall on Friday, December 6 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, December 7 at 4 p.m. that is sold out.
The Augustana Choir, the Augustana Symphony Orchestra, the Augustana Brass Ensemble, the Cantilena Augustana and more will be a part of Christmas at Augustana, including the Handbell Choir, which will be in the concert for the first time.
The concert is keeping true to the format it has had for the past five years, though it includes different songs each year.
“The show is kind of an amalgamation of a lot of different musical groups on campus,” said Katie Walker, a member of the Augustana Symphony Orchestra. “It is a longer concert, but it is worth it. They do a lot of fun light shows that they don’t usually do,”
Many classic Christmas songs will be featured, such as “It came upon the Midnight Clear,” “Go Tell It on the Mountain” and “Joy to the World.”
“It is not specific to any one group, but it is to feature all of those ensembles in a wide variety of music, from the more traditional carols to some newer works,” said Daniel Culver, the conductor of the Augustana Symphony Orchestra. “We try to keep this formula, this idea of mixing the familiar with the new.”
In response to the popularity of the concert, Culver points to the enjoyment people get from celebrating Christmas, the festivity of the event and the display of beautiful Christmas decorations.
Peterson explains it appeals to more people than more traditional Christmas concert.
“It is just fun, it is not a lot of heavy music, it is easily accessible,” Peterson said. “For those folks who are looking for a spark to get their holiday spirit lit, this is really the ticket.”
Peterson reminds everyone that Augustana hosts other festive music events, including the classic “A Christmas Messiah” and the storytelling Lessons and Carols.